You, Me and the Kids
by Aroma Lady 123
Summary: A collection of oneshots featuring our favourite couple and their kids. Need I say it's PokeShipping? *Latest Update: Misty has to get Brock from the train station because of the previous night's snowstorm, but Cora and her coat are arch-enemies.*
1. Left Out

**Hey, guys! So this is a collection of oneshots featuring Ash, Misty and their daughters -yep, daughters, because I love to torture Ash. Who doesn't? I apologise for any OOCness with Ash or Misty beforehand. Ooh, and this was inspired by nyislandersgirl's Family Matters. It's so awesome :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. **

**Claimer: All the kids belong to me, but you can borrow them if you REALLY want to (because they're not THAT brilliant), if you tell me first.**

**Tallulah: 3 years old**

* * *

"Tallulah Nixie Ketchum!"

The child blinked at her livid Mother. "What, Mommy?" she enquired sweetly. "You no like art?"

Misty took a deep breath and replied. "Of course I like art, Tallie, but you really should have asked for an apron -"she froze.

Her attention had been caught by the "art" which covered the walls. Well, there was always "art" on the walls, since Misty had spent most of her pregnancy painting them. The finished result was rather impressive: sapphire, with baby blue bubbles, underwater plants and of course, various water Pokémon swimming around in the foreground. Misty was quite pleased with it.

But this wasn't the "art" that surprised her. Oh, no.

It was Tallulah's little family portrait.

Misty strode across the room, her dip hem maxi dress bellowing around her, and sluggishly crouched down, wincing as she did so. Yes. It was what she thought it was.

Well, no, not exactly. Her husband was not a blue blob (although he _should_ be, with all that food he wolfs down every hour). He was only identifiable by the red semicircle above a spiky black line.

Misty turned to see her daughter staring at the floor, her navy waves hiding her face. She looked absolutely adorable, in her azure floral print playsuit. It didn't even matter to Misty that the girl was dripping with paint, **or** that she had drawn on the wall (it was hers, after all), but her daughter needed to know what she did wasn't okay.

It had worked. Tallulah was unquestionably sorry. The redhead chuckled. "Bubbles, is that Daddy?"

The little girl looked up, her sapphire orbs sparkling with hope. She beamed and skipped into her Mother's open arms. "Yes, Mummy," she sang, and sat down gently on the woman's lap. "Look, that's you!"

Misty peered at the picture. All she could see was an orange splash. Had Tallulah forgotten the rest of Misty's body? Oh, wait. It _was_ all of her. She really needed to change her clothes' colour scheme.

"And there's me!"

Sure enough, a black splotch over a large red spot took up most of the space between her rather plump parents. There was even a little yellow dot beside Ash.

"Pikachu!" Misty laughed and carefully- so as not to get paint on herself -hugged her daughter. That was everyone in the family.

Except...

Misty's hand flew to her heart as she looked down at her trembling daughter. "Bubbles..." she whispered, as if talking to a wounded Pokémon.

Tallulah's eyes shone with tears as she gazed into her Mother's sea green ones. She let out a strangled sob and leapt off Misty's lap.

"Tallie?"

Tallulah easily dodged her Mother's arms and sprinted out of the room, shutting the door loudly behind her.

Misty winced.

She scrambled to her feet as fast as her body would permit her, cursing Ash and his agility, and jogged after the girl.

The first floor was not where the girl was hidden, she decided, after searching Tallulah's usual "hidey places", so Misty had to tiptoe downstairs.

"Tallie? Where are you?" she wheezed. She didn't usually get this tired so quickly; she supposed it must have been the awful temperatures of the week.

The ground floor was not as grand as you would expect a Gym Leader and Pokémon Master's house to be. Sure, it was modern, but that was all. Ash and Misty were as simple as they were during their travelling days, when the road was their home and the most impressive possessions were their beloved Pokémon.

Tallulah was discovered in Ash's hideout: the pantry. She sat quietly on a bag of rice, licking a squirt of ketchup from her chubby hand.

Misty sighed. She should have known. That she would be upset, that is, not that she would be hiding here, though she should have known that too.

"Tallie?" she whispered tentatively.

The girl flinched, but said nothing.

"May I come in?"

The blunette tilted her head to the side, as if to say _if you must_.

Misty entered the large cave-like room (yes, room. Providing for Ash_ and _his daughter took a **lot** of food) and sat down carefully beside the child. The pair didn't speak for a few minutes, with Tallulah curled up as far away from her mother as she could get and letting out the occasional sniff while Misty wondered about how this problem would be best fixed.

"Tell me," Misty said at last.

Tallulah glared at Misty for a long time before speaking. "I no like her."

"What don't you like about her, Tallie?" Misty was genuinely curious. Tallulah had been so excited for a sister for the past seven months. Why would it change now?

"'You're s'posed to be MY Mommy."

"I AM your Mommy, Bubbles," Misty reassured her. "And I'll always be. I can be Mommy to you AND Nuri, you know. I have to share your Nana with my THREE sisters: that's your Aunt Daisy, Aunt Violet and Aunt Lily."

"I have Aunt Violet's hair," Tallulah stated, remembering the numerous friends and strangers that had made these comparisons. "And Aunt Lily's eyes, but I look like you."

"That's right, Tallie-"

"But Nana looks a'ter me AND 'arper AND Avery AND Noah! You only look after Nuri!" Tallulah sobbed.

Misty's heart broke, and her hand flew to her heart as if to put the pieces back together. After her C-section, she had only been capable of taking care of the infant, since Ash had insisted on her not doing any sort of work for a long, long time while HE took care of the newborn. She'd believed she was being there for Tallulah as much as she could. _Guess I was wrong._

"Bubbles… you should have told me…"

Tallulah frowned. She swivelled around to see tears rolling down her Mother's face.

"Mommy, I'm sorry!" she gasped. "No cry, Mommy! No cry!"

Tallulah threw her arms around the redhead. "Please Mommy…"

Misty wiped away the tears with the back of her hand and tightly hugged her eldest daughter. "I'm sorry too, Tallie. I love you, Bubbles."

"And I love you, Mommy," Tallulah voice was muffled.

Misty loosened her grip on the girl and gave her a cheeky grin. "From now on, I'll be there to listen to your whining as well as Nuri's, okay?"

Tallulah giggled. "Okay, Mom- I hear Nuri!"

Misty frowned. Then she heard it. "Yep, that's her, alright! Shall we go see her?

"Yep!"

Misty bent down to pick up Tallulah, but she stepped away.

"Mommy, I'm a big sister now, so you don't need to do that 'ny more –AND Daddy will be so mad if 'e sees you walkin' around."

"Whatever you say, big sister."

* * *

**And that's the first one all done! Tell me what you thought with a review – and I accept ideas and criticism too!**


	2. Bilingual Babies

**This one was inspired by something I found in the Baby Book, which I thought would make a pretty cool story. It helps that Ash wasn't in the last one :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. **

* * *

Misty sighed.

_This HAS to be the most boring day of my life,_ she thought, as she turned the page of her Baby Book.

She was FINALLY on maternity leave – just six weeks before her due date, much to her family's displeasure. However, Misty was glad she'd done that. She'd managed to escape the absolute boredom from sitting around twiddling her thumbs for three months (Ash's suggestion, naturally) AND she would get to spend so much more time with her little baby, when she was born.

Said baby was now sleeping, possibly due to the rocking chair Misty was sat on, or because she was just as bored as his or her mother was.

Misty sighed again. She almost wished the baby would wake up and start partying. Yes, it was uncomfortable, but at least it was entertaining. Or maybe she could finally decide to be born. It _was_ her due date, after all. Yes, 24th June, but the baby didn't seem to want to be born yet. All she was having were these stupid Braxton Hicks contractions that were starting to hurt _a lot_.

Gritting her teeth, Misty looked down at her book, which sat on the blue spotted nightdress that covered her beach ball of a stomach. Yes, she wore a nightdress, despite it only being 05:30 pm.

What? It wasn't like anything was going to happen.

Centile charts, eyesight, talking… ooh, this was interesting.

Misty had an idea. Her husband was home; he'd just come to check on her – and she _had_ to tell him!

"ASH!" she bellowed.

**CRASH**!

Misty sweatdropped.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud…

The door swung open and smashed against the wall adjacent to it. Pikachu bolted onto the windowsill beside her.

"Pikachupi? Pi ka Pika?" the mouse Pokémon asked calmly.

Well, _he_ couldn't have dented the wall like that-

"What is it?" Ash asked frantically. "Is it the baby? Is he coming? What happened, Misty?"

Naturally, Misty's husband of two years stood by the door, eyes wide, frozen dessert running down his black T-shirt.

Misty chuckled. "No, Ash, she's not coming. I wanted to show you…" Her eyes narrowed.

"Ashton James Ketchum."

Ash gulped.

"Did you eat ALL of the ice cream?"

The young man began to back away. "Heh… it was really hot, you know… I was tired from training all da-"

"And the crash I heard?" Misty interrupted.

"Eh… nothing…" her husband said, rubbing the back of his neck. " Stop giving me that look already. You'll find out soon enough.

"Pikachupi, Pi chu Pikachu," his Partner said helpfully to the redhead.

Ash thanked his lucky Staryu that this was unfamiliar vocabulary to Misty, and changed the topic.

"So why'd you call me?"

Misty narrowed her eyes at Ash, who gulped again.

"I wanted to show you this."

Ash strode across their room, and knelt down beside her. As he read the column, Misty winced again. This was _killing_ her.

"Speaking_ more than one language is an advantage to children in their learning…_" Ash read. "…_one parent using one language and the other using another. Children adapt to this very well._"

"So what I was thinking, "Misty said brightly. " Was that you could speak Pangaean while I spoke Kantsch. It's perfect!"

"Yeah!"

"Pi-Pikachu!"

"Wait… what about dialects? I'll be speaking in Kantsch Pangaean. "

"So?"

"The challengers at the Gym won't be. They'll all have their own dialects depending on their region – how will he understand them?"

"The same way we understand them, Ash. We adapt, and so will _she_ – you just read so yourself."

"I'll do anything for my little _boy_!"

"From now on, you're only speaking in Kantsch in front of our baby _girl_, okay?"

"[Sure thing!]" Ash replied cheerily in Kantsch Pangaean. "[I'm going to go watch TV. You coming?]"

"No thanks, Ash. I need to rest," Misty replied, and leaned back.

Ash kissed her cheek. "[Call me if you need anything, won't you?]"

"I will, and I'll scream if you don't hear me, and if you still don't, I'll call the ambulance," Misty sighed.

Ash chuckled. "[I love you.]"

Misty bit her lip as she watched him get another T-shirt and leave the room. This was getting awful…

First she saw it. Then she felt it.

"Pikapi…"

"[Fine, Pikachu, you can choose the movie,]" came Ash's voice.

"Ash…"

The second his beloved wife's voice reached his ears, Ash ran back up the stairs into their room. The trio exchanged alarmed glances.

"[I'll call the ambulance!]"

"Ashy, I don't think that's quite what-"

"Hello? My wife's gone into labour..."

* * *

**That Ash :P**

**Please review! Send me ideas for future oneshots if you have any, too.**


	3. The Name: Revealing The Problem

**Hello, fans of PokéShipping! This oneshot is part of a trilogy – and no, they're not all concentrated on Nuri. I'm focusing on this idea because Nuri's name's back story is OMG-SO-EPIC-I-WON'T-TELL-YOU-TODAY! I don't know if you'll like it, but either way, you'll find out all of it at a later date… **

**Disclaimer: I DO own Pokémon, people! … *phone rings. I pick it up* Hello, AL123 speaking! …What? …No way. …Really? …Damn. *slams phone down* I am joking, of course – this is a disclaimer, after all!**

**Nuri is 4 years old. **

* * *

Nuri Ketchum was annoyed.

Well, that was to be expected. She was Misty's daughter, after all. However, this was different. This was important.

She confronted her Pa about this one warm August evening, after she'd returned with her Ma from uniform shopping. Naturally, she hated shopping, but this was her uniform, the outfit she would be wearing almost every day until she left for her Pokémon journey.

Yes, Nuri was leaving for her Pokémon journey when she was ten, just like her Ma and Pa. she would be a Pokémon master, like her Pa, and she would be stronger than that Krabby sister of hers, Tallie, and that other stubborn sister of hers, Cora.

Tallie was going to take over the Gym with her Water Pokémon, an obvious type advantage over Nuri's favourite, but she'd show her. Cora… no doubt she'd try her hardest to beat her older sisters, and she'd probably succeed too, with four mentors in her family alone. Nuri didn't know yet though. Cora was only one year old.

Anyway, back to the story. Nuri was getting ready to bed, as her Ma insisted on 'sleepy-time' at 06:00pm. Sharp. Only half an hour after Pa finished work.

Nuri scowled. She hardly ever saw her Pa. Without him, she couldn't learn more Pangaean, and limited knowledge of said language would mean she wouldn't be getting her Trainer's License. This was why Nuri would stay awake every evening, waiting for her Pa to come and say goodnight, and they would sit and talk about Pokémon together.

"[Pa!]" she cheered now, sighting his walking shadow. "[You came!]"

The raven-haired man grinned from behind the door. Anything to make his little tomboy child happy. He peeked into the room to wink playfully at Nuri.

Misty didn't exactly approve of him chatting with Nuri at this time, especially this summer, when she would start school and needed to get into better habits. Like her Pa, the redhead had a tendency to sleep in until noon.

"[I wasn't going to leave my little Pumpkin all alone when she was sleeping,]" Ash said, and then dropped his voice to a mock-whisper. "[What if an Ariados got you?]"

"[Pa!]" Nuri giggled. "[I like Ariados. They very cute.]"

As if that wasn't obvious already. After Fire Types, Bug Pokémon were Nuri's favourite, and the little girl wanted nothing more than to start her journey with a Spinarak, who would one day evolve into an Ariados, like the one that bit her favourite movie character, Ariados-Man.

Ash laughed quietly and sat down on the bed. "[Don't tell your Ma that, okay, Nuri?]" He noticed his daughter's expression and frowned. "[Hey, why'd you just wrinkle your nose at me?]"

"I fought that, since I'm goin'a school an all, I should get rid of all the stuff about me I don't like," Nuri said slowly in Kantsch, staring into Ash's russet orbs with her identical ones.

She looked so adorable at the point, in her loose green T-shirt, her tough act gone, that Ash just couldn't resist giving her a hug.

Nuri was a much more believable result of PokéShipping than Tallie, who resembled Misty if one looked closely, and Cora, who looked nothing like Ash, Misty, or her biological grandparents from either side, but with Misty's eyes. The middle child was extremely tall for her age with Ash's colouring and eyes. Her hair was just like her mother's- short, spiky and ginger.

"[So…]" He began, a smile playing on his lips. "[You're gonna stop telling everyone our secrets?]"

"[Pa!]" Nuri whined, and playfully pushed him away. She ignored his wounded look; she would make him laugh again. "You an Ma were gonna tell the 'parazzi about Cora anyway."

"[True, true,]" Ash chuckled.

Nuri beamed. She had a special place in her heart for her Pa; she would never hurt him.

"[You're gonna stop raiding the pantry with me and Tallie?]"

The redhead rolled her eyes. "[Pa, I like doing that, and that's not bad.]"

_That's not bad… _Ash thought. _Misty would explode._

"[If Ma gets angry, it is, Nuri- Hey, you did that again!"

The child slumped back down onto the pillow. "[Yeah, I did…]" She looked up at her Pa, hopefully this time. "Can I change my name?"

"[Of course!]" Ash replied. "[No problem, pumpkin!]"

Okay, he didn't actually say that. He frowned and asked Nuri if she was sure.

Okay, he didn't do that either.

Ash paled. "[You want to…]"

"Change my name, yeah," Nuri replied casually, and began her attempts to convince him. "[I don't like Nuri. I want… ]"

Silence.

"[Pa? Are you okay? Pa?]" Nuri began to sit up, but Ash gently pushed her back.

Nuri glanced up, and she felt… scared.

Her Pa looked like he was going to cry.

Actually, that wasn't too surprising. Tallie cried all the time for no reason at all –_she said so herself_- and according to her Ma, it was something the blunette got from her Daddy.

But this… he was aghast. His eyes were wide and watering, and he trembled ever so slightly. He looked like he was frozen, too. Nuri instinctively moved away – she wasn't a big fan of the cold, at _that word _made her break out in a sweat.

"[Um… Pa?]"

"[I'll see you tomorrow, pumpkin. I love you.]"

"[Pa-]"

With a quick kiss Nuri's cheek, a tousle of her fiery hair and a hasty "[Goodnight.]", Ash was gone.

* * *

**And that's Part 1 of The Name. The next part is on Ash and Misty's reactions to the news, and there is a chance the problem could be solved... but will Ash and Nuri agree?**

**Review!**


	4. The Name: A Solution?

**Today we have our favourite sisters and their relationship. But first, our favourite couple - and they're not happy… **

**Disclaimer: Need I say this every time? I don't own Pokémon. Geez.**

**Tallie: 7**

**Nuri: 4**

**Cora: 1**

* * *

"It's okay, Ash," Misty said soothingly, hugging her husband. "I'd do the same thing if Tallie or Cora said that."

The pair was sat in on the leather sofa in the living room, since it wasn't yet 'sleepy-time' for them. It was the most interesting room in the couple's opinion, as it was a perfect mix of all the house's inhabitants.

It was in shades of blue and white, with plenty of space for Ash and his lively kids. A stack of Ash's recorded Pokémon battles took up most of one corner, along with various snacks hidden behind it. Another was made into one of Pikachu's dens, made up of a large wicker basket with a fluffy cushion, and a knitted blanket Delia had made for him.

Numerous little-kid stuff littered the floor, from Tallie's dressing-up shoes and cuddly Buneary, to Nuri's football and roller skates, and Cora's brightly coloured books and the miniature straw hat she would throw a tantrum when she was forced to wear.

Various photos covered the walls; with everything from the couple as mere travelling buddies to a shot of the family from the previous week. The best photos of the family, though, had been printed onto the many cushions that were supposed to be relaxing on the sofa, though most of them were scattered across the rainbow-coloured rug. There was even a poster of Misty as one of the Gym Leaders of Kanto, with her strongest Pokémon – Gyrados, and Ash as the Pokémon Master, with Pikachu on his shoulder, and the rest of his team as silhouettes in the background.

Ash turned around to face his wife now, hugging a cushion with a shot of Nuri, looking slightly dishevelled after playing a game that was supposed to be football with ten people, just two weeks ago.

Ash; Violet's son Noah; one of Brock's octuplet daughters; May, and her son and daughter; Max's daughter and Dawn's twin sons had all joined in that day. When they returned to the holiday mansion later, they had been laughing at some joke made by little Megan Maple. That girl was rather mischievous with a love for Psychic types - two traits she shared with both her father, Max, and her mother, Mira.

"What's wrong with it, Mist?" Ash asked rhetorically, his voice shaking. "There's nothing wrong with Nuri. Why would she want to change it?"

"You've gotta admit, it's not exactly…" Misty began, but then abandoned the sentence. She took Ash's gloved hand. "Anyway, it's like Tallie's name. Eeveleon said they weren't the kind of names people expected us to use."

"And Eeveleon's right, but they're _our_ kids, and we can name them _whatever_ we want."

"After _whoever_ we want," Misty agreed.

**X-X**

"I don't think... Daddy doesn't want you to do that," Tallie said.

The blunette was lounging on a pink beanbag in Cora's pastel-coloured room. The one year old toddler was skipping around the garden at the moment with her Mommy, and since Daddy was at work, it was alright for the sisters to discuss the taboo subject.

She stood up and twirled around to face Nuri, her skirt bellowing around her. It was black, with a scattering of love hearts that were white at the waistband and darkened to hot pink at the knee, worn with a matching top and leggings. It was screaming Girly Girl, according to her sister, who was dressed in denim shorts with a grey and purple striped tights and a purple T-shirt.

"He was a little upset yesterday, you know," Tallie said.

Nuri glanced away from the window to catch Tallie's eye. "Why?"

The older girl shrugged. "I wouldn't know; I was eavesdropping."

"What?" Nuri repeated, confused.

"Listening secretly," Tallie explained patiently.

She strode over to the window and glanced out. There sat Cora, under one of the three trees in the garden. They stood together, to hide the secret tree house. Tallie didn't go there often; it was so much more fun to go swimming or shopping!

"They were sitting in the living room together, so it was easy enough."

"I don't like Nuri!" the redhead screamed, making the blunette jump slightly. "It silly!"

"If you have a middle name, you could use it," Tallie suggested. She recovered very quickly, which was to be expected after seven years of that stuff, unlike her Daddy, who was still scared of her Mommy, even after nineteen years of knowing her.

"What's that?" Nuri asked. She turned to face her sister. Unlike Tallie, Nuri was very tall for her age, so despite the three-year difference, sapphire and russet were at a similar level right then. "Tell me."

"Don't know," Tallie shrugged again, ignoring her sister's frown. "Mine's Nixie, by the way. You could go ask Mommy about it. See ya."

With that, Tallie left, leaving a puzzled Nuri by herself.

X-X

"Why do you ask, Star?" Misty asked, confused.

She had been cooking lunch when her daughter arrived. Cora sat in her highchair, giggling at something unknown to the others. When she heard Nuri, she had glanced up. The joy in those sea green eyes was obvious, even when hidden behind her brown curls.

"Ni!" she had laughed.

Nuri had flinched, and came out with the question without a single bribe – _All my pocket-money is now yours, Ma _or bargain –_If you tell me, I'll stop raiding the pantry, and I'll tell you every time Pa and Tallie plan one too_.

Beside Cora was Tallie, sitting properly on her chair, the way most people don't anymore. When Nuri's question reached her ears, she glanced up, interested.

"Tallie said maybe I'd like that one better than Nuri," the child explained.

Misty thought for a moment. Ash had chosen Nuri's middle name too, and that name was…

A smile inched its way onto her confused face. This was too good to be true!

"Tallie, that was a great idea!"

The blunette blushed cutely. "Thanks, Mommy."

"You're welcome, Bubbles. Now, Star…"

Nuri nodded appreciatively. Ever since she'd spoken to her Pa, both her parents called her by their chosen nicknames.

"…I'll tell you what it is. I think you'll like it very much."

"Really, Ma?" Nuri gasped.

"Really," Misty confirmed. She crouched down and whispered in her ear. "Your full name is…"

* * *

***Evil laugh* Nope, I'm not gonna tell you. Nope. Nope. Nope… okay, I'll tell you. It's…. I'm joking! Ha ha!**

**Yes, I support CheekyShipping **

**Here's a link to something I think you'll find interesting… muahaha… geez, I'm joking, alright? Go onto my profile, there's a link right at the top. There is a bit of a spoiler there, so…**

**Review!**


	5. The Name: Perfect

…**and we have Part 3! Now, we know what Nuri's new name is. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

**Tallie: 7**

**Nuri: 4**

**Cora: 1**

* * *

Ash Ketchum was not a happy man.

His fans wouldn't agree. What was there to be sad about? He was the Pokémon Master, for crying out loud. Not to mention he had three beautiful daughters and a loving wife, who was also the first choice for the newest member of the Elite 4 as Water Master, should Agatha choose to retire, and there was someone to take over the Cerulean Gym.

That doesn't mean he has to always count his blessings. Even Pokémon Master Ketchum can mope over something trivial.

Well, trivial for anyone who wasn't him or Misty.

Nuri wanted to change her name.

"Yes, so what?" Ash heard you say.

Well, no, not you. You don't live in that world, as hard as it is to admit. That's why I've got a certain Dragon Master to voice it for you.

"Lance…." Ash said slowly, as if the older man was dumb for asking this, and also as if Ash was struggling to speak properly. "Nuri… was named after two people… that were… very dear to me."

"Oh," Lance murmured, not noticing Ash's tone, and gently patted Ash on the back. "I'm sorry to hear that."

_You should be. It's all your fault. I'd never have lost them if it wasn't for you…_

"I haven't quite got over it, see," Ash explained quietly, trying to keep his voice neutral. "I named my little girl after them because… you know how much I loved them."

Lance's eyes widened with horror. He pulled his hand back as if Ash had burned him. He knew. Oh, he knew. But he didn't know if Ash _remembered_.

"Yes," he said, in the same tone as Ash. "I wish it had never happened. They were wonderful people, Ash. Your father and I were childhood friends. The three of us travelled the world together… and Nuri-"

"No!" Ash snarled. "Don't you dare!"

Okay, so Ash _did_ remember. This makes things a _lot_ more complicated.

"Childhood friends," Ash spat. "And you abandoned him. You let them kill him… and all because you couldn't spare a few Pokémon."

"Ash…" Lance pleaded. "We were at war. We were losing. And anyway, I couldn't-"

"Turn against Giovanni?"

Lance tried to speak, but no words came out. Ash knew…

Ash turned away, disgusted.

"We'll pretend this never happened," he said monotonously. "Just like we've always done."

Hold up, _hold up. _He's known _all_ his life? Even when they'd met during Ash's journey? Lance wanted to kill himself now.

Ash looked like he wanted to say more, but the sound of footsteps stopped him.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Lance," Ash said cheerily. "Don't forget that battle you promised me, okay?"

Lance could only stare; the speed at which the revolted glare had hidden itself scared him. It was only when Prima Lorelei and Ash's Pikachu had appeared behind Ash that he recovered.

"Oh, no," Lance said, and forced out an awkward laugh. "It's always interesting to battle you, Ash."

The rest of the day began to pass by in a blur for Lance. He watched Ash turn away, and greet Prima Lorelei, who was laughing about something Pikachu did. The embarrassed mouse Pokémon took his usual place on his Trainer's shoulder before the duo left, Ash making fun of his Partner until he couldn't stand it.

"Pikachu 365, Ash 0," Prima Lorelei said fondly, as Ash's scream echoed around the building, and turned to face Lance. She frowned.

"Are you alright?"

"…yes…"

**X-X**

"Daddy's back!"

Cora jumped a little at the shrill cry from the window, dropping the rattle she held. Glancing at her eldest sister in a way that suggested she would roll her eyes if she could, the toddler stood up a land ran over to the door. She was always the first to greet her father when he came home.

The door opened slowly, and Cora immediately latched herself onto Ash's leg.

"[Hello, my little Marshmallow,]" the raven-haired man laughed, crouching down to pick up his daughter.

"[Hi, Da!]" the young brunette replied.

"[Daddy, daddy, daddy!]" Tallie shrieked, leaping off the windowsill and running into his open arms.

Ash staggered under all the extra weight. Holding the chubby (an understatement) toddler was hard enough, but now that Tallie had pretty much climbed onto his head and began to pretend Ash was a Wailord, he had no choice but to lean back against the wall.

Pikachu walked into the room and looked up at his Trainer. His mouth twitched at the sight.

"Pikachu…" Ash said threateningly.

The mouse Pokémon threw his little yellow head back and roared with laughter. Once he calmed down, he shuffled over to his den and crawled under his knitted blanket, still snickering at Ash's misfortune.

"Ash! You're back early," exclaimed Misty's voice.

Ash turned around to face his wife, who immediately wrapped him in a comforting hug. She looked as stunning as usual, in a navy vest top and black panelled jeggings. Ash tried to return the hug, but remembered that both Cora and his foot would be crushed if he let go, and gave her a quick kiss instead.

Usually, Nuri was the second to greet Ash. It was quite dramatic, actually. She would spot him walking down the road, and run down the stairs screaming that he was back, and usually Ash would have just stepped through the door by the time she leapt off the third-to-last step.

Ash winced, remembering the most recent time she'd missed: just after the stair gate was reinstalled for Cora. She'd come running and… well, I think we can all guess what happened.

"[Where's my little Pumpkin?]" Ash asked now, confused.

Misty and Tallie exchanged excited looks. Pikachu sat up. Ash frowned. Cora just drooled all over his shirt.

"[What is it, guys?]" he asked. "[What are you hiding?]"

Misty turned towards the stairs, and Ash felt Tallie lean towards it as well. He was going to fall.

"TallieTallieTallieeeeee-"

Misty snickered and pulled the blunette off Ash's shoulders.

"[Phew. Thanks, Mist,]" he gasped, relieved, then narrowed his eyes. "[Pikachu…]"

The laughter quietened.

"I couldn't let my baby get hurt," Misty replied to Ash, shrugging and successfully hiding her grin. Tallie, however, couldn't stop giggling. "And Ash, I know what you're doing. Stop that."

Ash stopped scowling at the back of his wife's head, and decided to try a different tactic. "[Nibbles, please, tell me! Please, please, please? You know you love your Daddy really!]"

Tallie rolled her eyes at her father and glanced at Misty questioningly. The redhead nodded. The pair took a deep breath.

"Oh, Blaze!" they chorused.

Ash's jaw hit the floor. Why hadn't he thought of that?

Nuri – not any more, it's _Blaze_ now – rushed down the stairs, carefully opening the stair gate (she'd learned her lesson), and beamed at him.

"[Pa,]" she said. "[I like Blaze. It's very me.]"

Ash thought for a long time. He was a little upset that Nuri no longer wanted to be called that, but Blaze… well, he'd chosen it. So…

"[I should've remembered… You're right – it's the perfect name for you.]"

* * *

**Yes, people, Nuri will know be known as Blaze ****. I reckon it's perfect for out fiery little Pumpkin. Next up… Cora!**


	6. Cora vs Coat

**So my online diary locked itself over the holidays, and I fell behind on publishing. Here's the second oneshot I owed you over Christmas/New Year.**

**Tallie: 9**

**Blaze: 6**

**Cora: 3**

* * *

"Mama. No."

Cora backed away, and found that she was she was trapped between the wall and her Mama. That was not good.

"Sweetie," Misty sighed. "It's okay. It's not going to hurt you."

Cora shook her head, causing strands of hair to fall on her face. At three, Cora was rather attractive to others her age already. Misty had heard it whispered many times when out with Cora. Then again, who wouldn't be? She had aquamarine eyes that, according to most people, were Misty's best feature, and soft brown hair layered around her chubby face, which always had an adorable smile on it.

Today was an exception.

Cora whimpered as Misty approached her with _it_. She hated it so much that she refused to leave the house, if it meant having to look at _that_.

Her jacket.

In a disgusting shade of orange, the jacket was heavily padded with itchy fur lining. If Cora ever put it on, she would look like a melting snowman. Unlike her sisters, she had not inherited the stay-slim-no-matter-what gene from either of her parents.

"I won't, Mama," she cried, shaking her head again. "It's horrible. I don't like it."

"Sweetie," Misty tried again. "We can't leave Uncle Brock all alone at the train station, can we?"

"Why can't he walk here?" Cora whined, folding her arms and looking away.

Misty sighed again at her stubborn daughter. She lifted up Cora from the floor ("Mama, NO!") and placed her gently on the windowsill ("Oh…okay…"). "Look."

Cora saw the horrible white stuff called snow. It was everywhere, dumped unceremoniously all over her hometown while she slept. Anything that hid the beauty of the flowers and caused the sweet little Pokémon to disappear was her enemy.

Misty then spotted something that made her content. "Look, sweetie. They're back!" A realization hit her, and she gasped. How long had she spent trying to get Cora to put on the coat? Brock must have waited for an hour at least…

Cora almost leapt off the windowsill in excitement. Her sisters had returned from school!

First came Blaze, who seemed to be finding walking rather uncomfortable, after being stuffed to the max under her thick red coat. Wisps of ginger hair covered her face from underneath her bottle-green balaclava, and Cora knew the older girl would be wearing the scowl that was associated with the day's weather.

"_[They're both their mother's daughters,]" _Daddy had said that morning about her and Blaze, after her sisters left for school- but her Mama wasn't scared of the snow! She was almost always outside!

Then came Tallie, who was the exact opposite of Blaze. Her pink beanie hat, which resembled a Skitty's head, was only there to keep her hair down. She never wore a coat, and much preferred to wear her fluffy almond green scarf over everything. Today it was a navy blazer with a Master Ball motif on the breast pocket: the Trainer School's logo.

Beside her was her best friend, Lewis, a blond boy with bright blue eyes that saw everything. _Everything_. There wasn't a thing he didn't notice. Usually, his twin sister would be with them, cracking jokes and singing at the top of her voice. She'd been very ill for a while. No wonder the pair looked so glum.

Misty sighed. It must be very hard for Jennifer and her family. She began to make plans to visit the Cunningtons later that week. _It would be better if Cora didn't come; she doesn't understand… And Blaze wouldn't want to see Jennifer ill like that- I know how she feels about Jennifer, so that wouldn't be good either…._

That's when she noticed it.

Someone was behind the tree.

And they were taking pictures off Tallie and Lewis.

Misty's blood boiled. How dare they? It was one thing taking photos when they knew about it, but in _secret_?

They were going to suffer.

Misty pulled Cora off the windowsill. The brunette squeaked in surprise, but ran down the stairs with her mother anyway, dragging her coat along with them. The door was thrown open, and Misty was striding down the path by herself. She wasn't exactly dressed for the weather, in her white knitted top with sequins in shades of blue arranged in a zigzag pattern around her waist. It was paired with straight leg denim jeans, but she was still going to freeze out there. Cora looked on with interest, picking up the horrible clothing item from the floor. She was never going to wear it. The outfit she wore today was more her style. It consisted of a green hooded long-sleeve dress with a frilled hem, paired with black leggings.

Misty marched up to Blaze, who still hadn't made it to the front door. The girl frowned. She was sure she hadn't done anything bad today. Well, she _had_ spread that funny story about that horrible boy in the year above, but that wasn't a bad thing – it even deflated his ego slightly.

Misty didn't even give her the usual 'welcome home' hug, but instead grabbed Blaze's hand and pulled her back down the path.

"Ma-"

Misty was now stomping over to Tallie and Lewis. Both were in deep conversation, so neither of them noticed the tornado of red and blue come flying towards them.

"What- _Mum_?" Tallie frowned, as the redhead stepped between them and the stranger. She wasn't at all pleased to be interrupted her best friend was almost in tears!

Lewis wiped his eyes quickly. It didn't matter how close he and Tallie were; he wasn't going to cry in front of her. When he heard Tallie, he glanced up to see this. "Mrs Ketchum, what are you-" he began, but then spotted the figure in the shadows. Lewis couldn't discern a gender yet, but this person had very spiky hair, the kind that he wished he had instead of his pudding-bowl cut.

Misty was livid. How dare they take pictures of a child like Tallie, just because her parents had fulfilled her dreams?

This guy was going down.

"Go, Corsola!" she cried, throwing the Lure Ball into the air. The Pokéball opened, and a red light flew towards the pavement, where the coral Pokémon materialised and yelled its name as a battle cry.

Misty chose the move that would make him suffer the most. "Use-"

Her eyes widened as the figure ran out of the shadows. It couldn't be…

"_Brock?_"

"Hey, Misty," the Pokémon Doctor said sheepishly, hiding the camera in his coat pocket. "How come you never told me Tallie had a boyfriend?"

Silence.

"Uncle Brock!" Tallie and Blaze yelled joyfully.

Blaze bolted past her mother and almost leapt into his arms, like she did when Ash came home. Tallie moved next, skipping down the road and embracing her godfather. The trio talked excitedly, with Brock giving out various presents to the girls.

Lewis and Misty exchanged confused glances.

"I thought it was a bad guy…" he sighed disappointedly.

Misty smiled, remembering the days when she wished Team Rocket would just leave them alone. "Don't worry, Lewis. I'm sure you, Jennifer and Tallie will have lots of bad guys to defeat once you leave. You've only got an year-"

"UNCLE BROCK!"

Everyone jumped slightly. But before they could turn around, an orange blur shot past Misty and latched itself to Brock's leg.

It was Cora.

And she was wearing her coat.

* * *

**It was supposed to be Cora-centric, but I couln't think of a way to end it. First, Ash solved the problem because Misty just couldn't, so she went to get Brock. Then, there was a massive secret that Brock uncovered, but it took the focus away from the plot. I will definitely reveal the secret sometime, though :P**

**Review!**


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